Lawyer Salaries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the median annual wage for lawyers was about $114,970 in 2014, with the top 10 percent of earners taking home more than $187,199 per year.ecent data found that lawyers with ten or more years of experience working in a small law firm earned between $96,250 and $161,500, while those with only one-to-three years of experience earned between $56,500 and $90,250.
A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials takes place. A trial court of general jurisdiction is authorized to hear some type of civil or criminal case that is not committed exclusively to another court.
What is a bench trial? A bench trial is a trial in which there is no jury. Instead, the entire case is presented directly to the judge. In most state courts, a civil law trial will be a bench trial unless the plaintiff or defendant requests a jury trial specifically. In most criminal cases, however, the defendant will receive a jury trial unless he or she specifically asks for a bench trial.